RESEARCH - Effect of cigarette smoke on autoimmunity in murine and human SLE

[Guest guest]

Toxicol Sci. 2005 Sep;87(1):86-96. Epub 2005 Jun 9.

Effect of cigarette smoke on autoimmunity in murine and human systemic lupus

erythematosus.

Rubin RL, Hermanson TM, Bedrick EJ, Mc JD, Burchiel SW, MD,

Sibbitt WL Jr.

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico

Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA.

rlrubin@...

Several studies have found that smoking cigarettes is a risk factor for

systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To examine this issue in a mouse model,

we subjected pre-autoimmune MRL-lpr/lpr mice for 4 weeks to cigarette smoke

to provide standardized smoke effluents equivalent to moderate or to heavy

smoking habits for people. The spontaneous production of IgG anti-chromatin

but not IgM anti-chromatin, anti-denatured DNA, or rheumatoid factor

antibodies was lower in mice exposed to 250 mg/m3 particulates from

mainstream smoke, and this suppression of autoimmunity was sustained for 8

weeks (p < 0.02). In contrast to control mice anti-chromatin activity in

smoke-exposed mice began to increase in 16-week-old mice, reaching levels at

6 months that were two- to three-fold higher than controls for IgG (p <

0.03) and 10-fold higher for IgM (p < 0.001). There was no significant

effect on total IgG or IgM. In newly diagnosed SLE patients, smoking was

negatively correlated with IgG anti-DNA antibodies (p < 0.03). However, of

nine patients who discontinued smoking prior to diagnosis, eight had

elevated IgG anti-DNA compared to 29/79 never smokers and 9/31 smokers (p <

0.01 compared to former smokers). Inhaled cigarette smoke appears to have a

long-lasting immunosuppressive effect on T-cell-dependent autoimmune

responses, although autoantibodies increase to supra-elevated levels after

the suppressive effect has abated.

PMID: 15947027

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=15947027

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org